You may plan to live in your home for decades, or you may plan to sell quickly, but home improvement is always a good idea. Even very basic projects can have a big impact on the value of your property. In the following paragraphs, you’ll find some excellent tips on how to make your home look its best.
Ceiling Fans
During the summer, make liberal use of fans. Ceiling fans can circulate air in your room to keep it cooler. If you use a combination of ceiling fans and room fans in place of an air conditioner, you can cut down on both your energy usage and your electric bill.
For an economical approach to floor tiling, consider installing vinyl instead of ceramic or stone. Vinyl is strong, durable, water resistant, and easy to install due to the adhesive that is included on the back. This type of flooring may be purchased as individual tiles or in large sheets.
Repairing leaky faucets is an excellent home improvement project for even a novice handyman. If you can easily find the leaks, you can save quite a bit of water – and money – each day. You can save significant amounts of money from these projects on your water bill each month.
You use the areas between ceiling rafters and floor joists to store building materials. You can easily store two by fours or pieces of molding in these spaces. Nail furring strips across a couple of exposed floor joists. Alternatively, nail them across your rafters. Slip the material in there for easy storage.
Do not demolish too much when you start your home improvement task. Always double check structures behind walls and cabinets before ripping them down. If there is electricity involved in your home improvements, it may cost a lot to fix it.
Before beginning your renovation project, turn the power circuit off for your safety. Failing to do this may kill you.
Luggage Rack
You can turn a luggage rack that you don’t use any more into a functional side table. Simply place a piece of glass on top of the luggage rack for an instant side table. Place a lamp on top and enjoy.
A great home improvement job to focus on is the porch. It is what is first seen by someone visiting your home. It will set the initial impression they have for your home. Keep your porch clean and add tasteful enhancements. Flowers, nice furniture and great lighting can be used to dress up an otherwise boring and bland porch. As an added benefit, you can enjoy an increased home value.
If you mount your TV using a wall bracket, you’ll be able to free up a great deal of space. Even if you still need a TV stand, you’ll be able to store something else on the surface you’ve cleared. This small improvement can take less than an hour if the instructions are followed correctly.
Avoid listening to everything a contractor tells you. Even the best contractors with the finest reputations can take advantage of a disinterested or easily intimidated owner. Issues and problems raise by contractors must be verified prior to the homeowner approving spending extra money or when extending the construction timeline.
Outlet Covers
Replacing your outlet covers with new ones will add a fresh look to a tired room. Over time, outlet covers show their age and start to look discolored. With new covers on the outlet you can add a fresh look to the walls.
Another tip for making your landscaping look great when it’s time to sell your home is install fully grown flowers rather than seedlings. When you add this color and beauty instantly, you’re transforming your yard from bland and boring into something exciting. Even if you’re going to keep your home, it’s a great improvement that you will enjoy immediately. It may take seedlings to long to grow in order to provide similar benefits. Your goal is to have the prospective buyer feel that it will be easy to take care of the yard just as it is.
Look at your home’s water usage when planning home improvement projects. Water-saving shower heads, toilets and water heaters are smart additions to your home. The new fixtures not only add to your property value by being modern and green, but they also will save you big money on your water bill.
If you can’t stand cleaning gutters or you have many trees around your home, look into a gutter protection system, such as a guard, that you can install over your gutters. A gutter guard keeps leaves, sticks and other debris from filling your gutters needlessly. Although there is no solution that can completely eliminate gutter maintenance, you’ll find it’s far easier to clear leaves off of guards or screens than it is to dig them out of the gutters themselves.
Consider refacing your cabinets if they are getting tired and outdated, instead of replacing them. If you are working with a large kitchen, replacing all of your cabinetry can be very costly. However, for a fraction of that cost, you can reface the fronts of the cabinets. This will provide you with the bright new appearance you want and save you a lot of money too.
Increase your dryer’s output and lower its energy usage by shortening the dryer hose. First, remove the hose and vacuum it well. Trim hose length to be around three feet long. You want it to be long enough that you can move the dryer for cleaning, but short enough that it runs more efficiently.
A well-chosen home improvement project should not be underestimated. Just spending one weekend can make your home look different to people. After reading this article, you should have a lot of information about ways to improve your home. Just choose one and begin!